Birth Story: The Fabulous Mr. Fox

I met Stefanie completely by chance.  At 8 months pregnant, she and I coordinated a meet-up at the local Chick-fil-A to complete the sale of my stroller, as she prepared to welcome her first child - a boy - into the world.  My trunk still full of tools and props from a newborn session, I found it challenging to get the stroller out!  I mentioned to her it would take just a moment because I am a photographer and I still had all of my newborn stuff in my trunk.  "I'm a photographer too," she exclaimed.  Wow.  Small world!

We got to chatting about the business and then onto babies and things just clicked.  What can I say?  When you meet a person with a great vibe, you just want to keep talking to them and getting to know them.  She gave me her business card and we went our separate ways.

A few weeks after the sale, I contacted her to meet for coffee because I had some questions for her about her photography business.  We talked portfolios, gear, etc.  Then...my favorite part - we talked about LIFE.  We got to chatting about the beauty of birth and how powerful it is, and she realized she wanted to preserve the experience of Harrison's birth through photography.  I had an opening, and it worked out perfectly. 

Harrison, however, didn't want to budge!  Her guess date came and went, and before we knew it her induction date came around.  Harrison, however, had no interest in being induced!  Babies will come when they WANT to come, and he didn't want to come on anyone else's schedule. 

I got the call that she was in active labor on Thursday, early afternoon. I expected to find Stefanie overtired, and I wouldn't have been surprised if she was grumpy too, as this was two days into the induction.  But when I walked into the room, I was met with smiles (some were weary), and joy.  Stefanie eagerly chatted with me about photography, her excitement for breastfeeding, wondering what he would look like...  And their families welcomed me into the room like I belonged.  Mother, sister, mother-in-law, and husband all relaxed through the ebbs and flows of labor progressing.  With Harry Potter on in the background (by the time I got there they were on The Half-Blood Prince, Part 1), they talked, laughed, napped, and anticipated Harrison's arrival.

After getting her epidural the day before, she told me the story of her anesthesiologist coming into the room seeing "Harrison Fox" written on the dry erase board.  He asked if that was this baby's name, because his son (now 19) is named Harrison.  The connections flowed from there.  His name was Tod, his son's name is Harrison Brandon.  Stefanie's husband's name is Brandon Todd.  Fox means Todd.  Are you following all of this?  What an amazing web of connections with this birth story!  Tod had never shared a picture of his son with a patient, but he couldn't resist sharing with Stefanie and Brandon.  I enjoyed capturing this moment between them to remember their uncanny story.

The anesthesiologist showing Stefanie and Brandon a picture of his son Harrison, when he was an infant. 

The afternoon progressed and we ran out of Harry Potter movies, so we moved on to another classic...Jurassic Park!  Before we knew it, Harrison started making his way.  Everyone in the room focused on supporting Stefanie, and she leaned into her body's natural instincts to move him right along.  It was incredibly moving to witness her power as a woman birthing her child.

Harrison emerged with a delightfully adorable blonde mini mo-hawk.  Melt my heart, he is ADORABLE.  Seriously.  He immediately felt peace against his Momma's chest. I am grateful to have been there to document this sweet boy's journey earthside, and also to see him at his newborn session at a week old!  (More on that, so stay tuned!)

After she birthed the precious boy and snuggled him, he went to be weighed and measured.  Something told me to look back at Stefanie in that moment as I was documenting Harrison being evaluated...and I caught this beautiful moment.  Stefanie with her mom and sister giving thanks to God for a safe Momma, safe healthy baby, and the gift of being a mother.  It gives me chills just to look at this incredible moment, preserved in time.